Being involved in an auto accident is never a good experience. But the accident is only the beginning, now you must get your car repaired. In the past, car repairs after an accident mostly consisted of body work, paint, and in some cases replacement of certain parts like a bumper or some lights. Today with modern cars, repairs tend to be a bit more complicated and expensive. Here are some of the more expensive parts to replace if you’re in car accident.
Today’s cars are equipped with computers that take care of everything from fuel economy to braking. Computers for cars can be very pricy. Just doing an inspection of the computer can run between $150-$500 depending on just how complex the control unit is. If you need to replace it, it often costs between $1000 to $3000, and to reprogram the computer takes another $150-$600.
New cars are loaded with sensors and airbags all of which make up the safety system. Individual airbags can cost $1000-$1500 per airbag to be replaced. This doesn’t even begin to look at safety belts that were perhaps cut or the sensors that need to be repaired or reprogrammed.
Bumpers and grills aren’t what they used to be. Bumpers and grills now come with sensors, cameras, and extra lights. To replace just the bumper can run as much as $700. Replacement costs for all the sensors, cameras, and lights add up and, in many cases, can go over $1,000.
Headlamps on new cars have gotten a lot more expensive than they were on older cars. If you happen to have a vehicle with HID headlamps expect to pay around $1500 for each assembly replacement, but even older headlamp systems can cost up to $700 to replace.
Mirrors have become more expensive too. Mirrors on new cars now come with dimmers, heaters, sensors, motion detectors, cameras, and sometimes lights. Replacing a mirror can now run up to $1,500 when you include labor.
So, the next time you need to take your car to the body shop for repairs, be prepared to pay a lot of money.